21st Century Cuisine, Nutrition and Genetics in France and the United States

Ecole Claire Fontaine is proud to announce our participation in an exciting new culinary study that will focus on the science and social science of nutrition and cuisine.  This study will be a collaboration between ECF, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS-CNRS) to produce new research in the fields of genetics, nutrition and cuisine.  ECF will host researcher Richard Delerins as he introduces his delicious and nutritious organic meals to our students in order to study the relationship between genetics and setting in determining a child’s taste preference. 

What is the project about?
This project fosters international links by organizing research and teaching that integrates the human and biomedical sciences in the study of cuisine and biology. Food is interdisciplinary, concerning culture and taste, industry and agriculture, and medicine and genetics as rates of diabetes and obesity rise worldwide. The partnership between the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) Paris involves geneticists, biostatisticians, sociologists, historians and chefs working at different scales of biology and culture, to incubate new methods and new pedagogies at the intersection of
genetics, nutrition and cuisine.

Project outcomes include data on the genetics of taste and food choice in young children; melding sociology and genetics to generate innovation in the study of gender, taste and preference; and a pilot culinary lunch program for preschoolers developed at École Claire Fontaine, a French-American preschool in Los Angeles.

What does the study seek to study?
This study seeks to study the relationship between genetics and setting as they pertain to taste preferences.  The results will help the researchers determine many important factors in creating more nutritious and healthy eating habits.

How is ECF participating?
ECF supports the project by providing access to the school for observation and research.  The subject of nutrition is integral to the ECF philosophy and is carried out in the school through the daily provision of nutritious meals and the class instruction on cuisine and introduction of a variety of foods. 

The study will have a seamless integration into the existing meal structure and Mr. Delerins will serve the students a wide array of healthy, organic and diverse food items and observe their reactions to different tastes.   A key element to the research involves studying the student’s reactions to diverse food sources.  The social aspect of lunchtime at ECF will play a key role in this study as the school, thanks to its European roots, enables a very social mealtime experience.

The children will be exposed to a wide variety of foods and tastes and they will be delighted to try healthy, organic gourmet recipes from all over the world.  They will be offered the unique experience of expanding their palates and learning about the foods at the same time.